COMMODORE’S MESSAGE
After a relatively easy winter for Maine, the Ropewalk is open and is in great shape.

Thanks to all that helped on opening day. There was a fair amount of activity this winter with the dredging being completed. Thanks to Peter Donovan and Keith Jacques for all their efforts. The dredging would not have happened without their commitment of tremendous time and energy to secure our permit.

Up Anchor will soon be here, and Mother Nature has plans to provide us with great weather. The Arundel Yacht Club is a special place to be enjoyed by all members. A critical ingredient to the success of the Club is volunteers to participate in the running of events. Remember we are a working club. Be sure to let Kavin Moody know which events you are most interested in helping with.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone enjoy the Club this year and as always, do not hesitate to ask questions and provide your opinion to help make the Arundel Yacht Club even better than it is today.

David Pickering
Commodore

WATERFRONTDredging Update:
After four long years of planning and organizing “The Dredge” is completed! We dredged 2200 cubic yards and should enjoy a number of years of “deep water.” Many procedures and requirements have changed since our last dredge and we understand that more changes are expected. The BOG will have a number of discussions dealing with this issue, as it poses many concerns for us in the future. As a reminder, if you currently have a slip and are planning on changing your vessel, we highly recommend that you speak with Chris or the Vice Commodore, as we cannot guarantee a slip that will accommodate your vessel.

We spent $45,000 for the dredge, $18,200 for permitting/testing, and $2500 for utility work, for a total of $65,700. Our original budget was $61,000.
We should all thank Bob Burns, Keith Jacques, Tim Hussey, and David Pickering for their efforts to insure the successful completion of this project.

Dockage:
If you have a slip or are on the waiting list, you have received and hopefully have returned your update forms. We are updating all of our records to help us use the docks as efficiently as possible. Thank you for your help.

BUILDING & GROUNDS
Our next major project at the Ropewalk will be the replacement of the roof shingles. We have received pricing on both cedar shingles and asphalt shingles. After reviewing the costs, the board has agreed to use “Red Cedar Shingles” and a “breathing membrane” as a replacement system for the existing shingles. This work will take place during October of this year. We also have a contingency fund allocated for the unknown condition of the roof substructure under the existing shingles. Next on the list are the sliders and the large deck. As always, your comments, concerns, and recommendations are welcomed and encouraged.

Peter Donovan
Vice Commodore

MEMBERSHIP
The Membership Committee is reviewing the waiting list and comparing notes as we move into the 2006 season. Remember, at the 2005 annual meeting the five new members for 2006 were announced - with the new method of introducing new members, the process starts one year ahead. There are only a handful of new member openings this year and it is the second year of the new membership introduction process so it should be easier to administer, and there will be fewer new faces to meet at the Ropewalk. The waiting list is still lengthy at 19, with boat owning applicants (8) expecting a two year wait, while non-boat owning applicants (11) may wait five years or longer. For the 2006 Annual Meeting, we already know we'll have the opportunity to welcome another Jr Member, Katie Tuller, to the ranks of full membership in 2007.

The following members have resigned in good standing:
Peter Brown
David McCullough
James H. Eaton, IV, who, in his letter of resignation, thanks the Club "for 4 decades of sailing, fun and friendly companionship."

Bob Scribner
Membership Committee Chairman

WAYS AND MEANS
“This place is great!” That was the consensus of the near 60 AYC members who ventured through the snowstorm to the annual Ice Breaker at the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust Headquarters on Saturday, February 25. When has a snowstorm ever stopped AYC members from having an enjoyable time reconnecting at a social event? People arrived enthused and left happy. What else can be said!

The 2006 AYC social calendar is out and it’s worth noting that new events have been added, thanks to the work of the Ways & Means Committee. New events this year are: Ladies Luncheon on Sunday, May 7; AYC Junior Member/Guest Dance on Friday, June 23; and Family Bingo on Sunday, July 9, and Sunday, August 13. More information about these events will be available on the individual event announcements. Also, returning to the calendar after a few years’ hiatus is the Stage Harbor Cookout on Saturday, September 2.

Spring Pot Luck is just around the corner on May 6. This is always very popular because it’s really the first event of the year at the Ropewalk (after Spring Cleanup, of course, on April 22) and is an important event for introducing prospective new members to the club.

Additional events on the calendar provide more opportunities for members to enjoy the club and also mean a greater need for help. The Ways & Means Committee will soon be back in full swing and focused on filling in the slate of volunteers for several of the social events. Call or email Kavin Moody (967-5542; moodyk@babson.edu) if you would like to discuss volunteering.

Kavin Moody
Ways & Means

JUNIOR SAILING
We are pleased to announce that the Jr. Sailing program has just hired a new Sailing Director for this summer. His name is Charlie Fox and he was born and brought up sailing on Casco Bay. His family owns and runs The Boathouse at Handy Boat in Falmouth. Charlie has many years of experience teaching and coaching sailing along with an impressive racing career of his own, sailing lasers, 420's, and now 470's. While he campaigns for a spot on the US Olympic Sailing Team, he is also working towards a degree in elementary education. His goal is to teach school and run a sailing program during the summer. We are looking forward to having an accomplished sailing instructor like Charlie running the Sailing program, and we are strongly encouraging advanced sailors to sign up for classes this year. This will be an exciting season!

The summer sailing schedule for the Jr. Sailing Program is currently being created and should be available soon. The schedule and application for classes will be available on this website within the next few weeks.

Anyone interested in the program should contact Amy Bath at abath@gwi.net.

Amy Bath & Bob Scribner
Junior Sailing

YEARBOOK COMMITTEE
The 2006 Arundel Yacht Club yearbook is in preparation. Distribution will occur in May. Membership, boat ownership, committee reports and the Club calendar all will be updated. If you have any really outstanding digital pictures you'd like me to consider for inclusion, send them to me at vinkel@aol.com.

Dave James

LIST OF SPRING CLEANUP WORKERS
Our annual beginning of season clean up was held on April 22. Thank you to all who attended:

SOME HISTORY
Here's a tidbit from the past. In the winter of 1958-1959, the focus of the Board of Governors was on two projects. The first (my favorite of course) was to get our club boat classes chosen and under way. Booth Chick had designed a 14FT boat for the children to learn in, later named the Chickadee. It was eventually chosen out of a very large field of designs considered.

And of course the parents wanted a boat to race in and for the children to step up to, so after looking into many designs that would be suitable for sailing in our waters, the sleek Crocker 20 was chosen. On the Crocker, Booth Chick gave us estimates to build as follows: a bare hull for $305.00 and a complete boat with sails for $831.00.

Three syndicates were formed to build the boats, as follows: #1-George Timson, Roland Hussey, Chas. Cole, and Paul Whitin with the boat to be built in Roland Hussey’s barn. #2-Abbott Pendergast, Peter Hussey, George Fiske and Booth Chick. #3-George Hatch, Bud Williamson, Bob Badger and Phil Hussey. The syndicates changed after that and another boat was called for, but that was the start of our fleet.

Bob Badger
Historian

Any comments or news that members would like to see included in future issues of the Lubber’s Log would be welcome! Please feel free to contact me at kitling@gwi.net or 967-4448.